Traces of Antares: Uncovering Bellamorte

Prologue

***

"THEY'RE here! They're here!"

Midas and I put down our toys as soon as we heard Mauris screaming from the door. Lady Callisto has come home from giving birth.

"Vera come on!"

Tawag sa akin ni Midas bago hinila ang mga kamay ko. He was so excited with seeing the baby and so am I kaya agad naming sinalubong ang mga dumating.

"Mama!"

Midas went to her mother and kissed her before looking at the baby.

"Wow," he exclaimed happily while watching her. I however just stayed on the corner.

Though I'm calling Lady Callisto 'Mama', she isn't really my mother. I am a descendant of a refugee who migrated to the Philippines due to the European Civil War decades ago.

"Isn't she pretty Vera?" Lady Callisto asked me, encouraging me to come to her.

I just nodded while staring at her daughter. The baby too, like her, has warm chocolate eyes, may suot siyang onesies na talagang bumagay rito.

"She's pretty Mama,"

I told her while smiling, she's making tiny sounds. I never looked at a baby before.

"She's your sister," Lady Callisto whispered as her lips met my forehead. I was dumbfounded by her words.

I turned my gaze at her as confusion shadowed my eyes.

"My sister?"

"Ahuh,"

My lips immediately stretched into a smile as I nodded at my mother.

It's not bad to have a sister, Mauris is also my sister, though she has blue eyes and I have green.

I stared at the baby again, she was still making little sounds like she was happy. Midas and I just clapped our hands. It just made my heart flutter even more seeing them being giddy.

"She has beautiful eyes," I told Lady Callisto.

"And so do you," and she kissed my forehead one more time.

"And I too Mama," singit ni Midas.

"Of course, Darling. We should get ready for dinner while she takes a nap," Wika niya bago tumayo at nilagay ang baby sa nakahandang tulugan nito.

"Will you read us a bedtime story?"

Midas asked her. She just once again, nodded.

"Of course"

I ended up smiling.

Despite not being her real daughter, Mama never made me feel that I was different. I just learned that I was when I saw their eye color and their similar faces after I learned my lessons in Genetics.

But that doesn't matter now. I love this family. I would protect it with my life.

This is my promise to my self, because, unlike my real family, these people chose to stay and accept me.

But then again, some people aren't really meant to stay with us...

***

"MAMA!"

I crawled toward Lady Callisto as she coughed some blood. A knife with engravings on its handle is pierced into her stomach. Like her mouth, that area too bathe in moist reddish brown liquid.

A smell of sulfur and iron is lingering around the area along with a thick smell of gasoline.

Tears welled in my eyes as memories of earlier dusk today flashed before my eyes. We were cooking dinner when an explosion from a bomb happened in our kitchen.